Most of the calls we take are for a car or pickup that won't start. But New Brunswick's highways carry more than passenger vehicles — transport trucks hauling freight through Moncton, RVs crossing to PEI, delivery vans and box trucks running routes all day. When one of those goes down, it's a different job: different weight class, different equipment, different math. Here's what heavy-duty towing actually covers, and what to expect if you're the one calling it in.
What counts as "heavy-duty"
Heavy-duty towing covers commercial trucks, semis, RVs, buses, and equipment up to highway-tractor weight — anything past what a standard flat deck or wheel-lift was built to carry. A delivery van with a dead battery is still a standard call. A loaded box truck that can't move under its own power, or a motorhome broken down on the Trans-Canada, is a heavy-duty one.
The line isn't always obvious from the roadside. When in doubt, describe the vehicle's weight class and axle count when you call — dispatch matches the equipment to the job, not the other way around.
The equipment: rotator vs. heavy wrecker
Two different tools cover two different problems.
- A heavy wrecker handles a straight-line heavy tow — a disabled semi, bus, or RV that's upright and just needs to move. Big underlift, tandem-axle rig, built for weight, not angles.
- A rotator is the one for a harder recovery — a jackknifed trailer, a rolled vehicle, or a load in an awkward position where a straight pull won't work. The crane rotates a full 360°, so it can lift and reposition a heavy vehicle from angles a wrecker can't reach.
If you've read our Landoll trailer guide, that trailer covers a lighter middle ground — heavy equipment and low-clearance loads that don't need accident-recovery muscle. Rotators and heavy wreckers are the next step up, for the jobs a Landoll can't touch.
Common heavy-duty calls in NB
- Jackknifed or rolled semis on Route 2 and the Trans-Canada corridor, especially in icy or windy conditions.
- RV and motorhome breakdowns crossing to PEI over the Confederation Bridge, or running Route 1 toward Sussex and Saint John.
- Disabled delivery and box trucks in the Moncton and Dieppe industrial parks.
- Ditch retrievals for anything in this weight class after leaving Routes 15, 11, or 1 in bad weather — heavier than the passenger-vehicle recoveries in our winch-out and off-road recovery guide, but the same idea: stuck, not always damaged, and recoverable with the right gear.
What to tell dispatch
- Vehicle type and rough weight class. An empty box truck, a loaded semi, and a Class A motorhome are three different jobs — say which one it is.
- Position. Upright and just disabled, on its side, or jackknifed changes which unit rolls.
- Exact location. Highway name and kilometre marker, or the nearest exit, gets the right truck there faster.
- Anything hazardous. A shifting or leaking load, fuel on the road, or anyone injured — call 911 first. A heavy recovery can wait a few minutes; a hazard can't.
What it costs
Honestly: more than a standard tow, and it varies more too. A heavy wrecker pulling an upright, empty box truck a short distance is a different price than a rotator righting a loaded semi in a ditch. It's priced on weight, distance, and recovery difficulty — ask for the rate when you call, and a good operator explains it before the truck starts working, not after. Our New Brunswick towing cost guide walks through the same honest-pricing approach for standard tows.
Where we haul
We're based in Moncton, and heavy-duty calls take us across all of New Brunswick, all of Prince Edward Island, and the Halifax–New Brunswick corridor on request — most often along Routes 2, 15, 11, and 1. A jackknifed trailer near Salisbury, an RV stalled before the Confederation Bridge, a delivery truck down in Dieppe's industrial park — it's the same dispatcher and the same yard on Beaverbrook Street.
Who you're calling
Dynamic Towing has run Moncton's roads since 1990 — 24 hours a day, every day, in English and French, backed by CAA, Canadian Tire, and a 4.5-star reputation across hundreds of reviews. Our fleet includes the rotators and heavy wreckers a commercial or oversized vehicle needs, not just a standard flat deck. Visit the towing service page for full fleet details, or get in touch and tell us what's down.